


Brii: A Star Wars Story

by briiriata



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Canon Divergence - Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008), Clone Troopers Speak Mando'a (Star Wars), Clone Wars medic, Clones, Gen, Mandalorian Clans (Star Wars), Mandalorians (Star Wars), Mando'a Language (Star Wars), Order 66 (Star Wars), Planet Mandalore (Star Wars), Post-Order 66 (Star Wars), Star Wars medicine, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:41:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28298415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/briiriata/pseuds/briiriata
Summary: Brii is a Mandalorian. But before that she was a medic during the Clone Wars. The experiences she had helped to shape her into the warrior she is today.
Relationships: Original Clone Trooper Character(s) & Original Character(s)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 6





	1. Prologue

“I’m starving,” Brii said, walking into the cockpit and folding her arms across her chest. “Can’t you fly any faster?”  


“Don’t you have food pellets on you?” Ru’upan said without even looking back at her.  
“That’s disgusting,” Brii answered, deadpan.  


“Then why do you carry them?”  


“Because when you’re about to die, you don’t care,” Brii said, her voice was getting tense.  


“So you’re not starving then,” Ru’upan said with a nod. “Good to know.”  


“Shut up. Just get us home.” Brii slid herself into the copilot’s chair.  


“Jasper isn’t going to like that,” Ru’pan noted.  


“He’s not in here to care.” Brii fingered the three long braids woven into her hair. “And if he wants it, he can remove me from it.” She snorted. “I’d like to see him try.”  


Ru’upan glanced over at her. “You know, you’re definitely a _Mando _.”  
__

__Brii frowned, confused. Of course she was. “What do you mean?”  
_ _

__“Did you just hear yourself?” He smiled. “I remember when you first showed up on Mandalore. You definitely would've never said anything like that.”  
_ _

__Brii gave a small laugh. The events surrounding her arrival on Mandalore weren’t exactly pleasant to remember, but she was grateful for them. Her life had been changed for the better because of it.  
_ _

__“It’s been two years. I think I’ve done a pretty good job at adapting,” Brii said.  
_ _

__Ru’upan grinned. “You just had to find yourself. You haven’t adapted. You always had the heart of a Mandalorian. We just had to bring it out of you.”  
_ _

__Brii felt her face flush.  
_ _

__“Hey! That’s my chair!”  
_ _

__Brii spun the chair around to see Jasper standing at the entrance of the cockpit.  
_ _

__“Get out,” he said.  
_ _

__“Make me.”  
_ _

__Jasper’s eyes narrowed and his hand went to the knife he always kept on his belt. Brii put her hand on hers.  
_ _

__Then Jasper burst out laughing and plopped into the seat in the back.  
_ _

__“That’s what I thought,” Brii said, turning back to face the viewpane.  
_ _

__“You’re the last person I’d ever want to fight, Brii,” Jasper said.  
_ _

__“Yeah, because he knows he’d lose. Big time,” Ru’upan chuckled, flipping a few switches and bringing the ship out of hyperspace.  
_ _

__Jasper shrugged. “Honestly, that’s the truth. And I’m not afraid to admit it. Brii here is the best fighter of all of us. She just gives someone a poke and bam! They’re down.”  
_ _

__Brii pulled a syringe from her armband. The cockpit lighting reflected off of the syringe’s metal casing. “Why fight harder when you can fight smarter?”  
_ _

__Ru’upan guided the ship toward the approaching planet. Mandalore looked like an ugly dot in space. And it was ugly. Brown, barren desert combined with wild, reckless forests.  
_ _

__“ _Mando’yaim_ ,” Ru’upan announced as they approached the planet’s gravitational pull.  
_ _

__“Home,” Brii whispered as they entered atmosphere. It had only been home for two years, but it really was home to her. She watched as the forests grew thicker and thicker as they approached the planet’s surface.  
_ _

__“How much you wanna bet Tor’buir has the whole clan over for dinner?” Jasper piped up.  
_ _

__“How much you wanna bet he’s taken in some more Foundlings?” Ru’upan added, smiling, as he guided the ship to a clearing to land.  
_ _

__Brii undid the safety harness and grabbed her _buy’ce_ and pulled it on. It had taken her a while to get used to wearing the iconic Mandalorian helmet when she had first joined the clans, but now it was almost an extension of her own body. Plus, the electronics inside allowed her senses she wouldn’t normally be able to use. Private comm channels, night vision, tracking abilities, and basically anything else someone wanted added. Brii chose an additional heads-up display that allowed her instant access to almost all medical and scientific information. And after this last mission, she was going to be adding a body scanner.  
Leaving the ship, the three were greeted by a warrior in dark green and gray armor. _Buir _. Their father. He grasped Ru’upan’s wrists in the traditional Mandalorian handshake and pressed his helmet against Ru’upan’s. Then he did the same to Jasper. Finally, he came to her.  
___ _

___“Brii’ka. My daughter.”  
_ _ _

___Brii pressed her forehead against Tor’s and held it there. The Mandalorian embrace was longer than usual, but it made Brii so happy that someone loved her like Tor did.  
_ _ _

___“Come!” Tor announced, “ _Buir_ has made quite a feast at home.”  
_ _ _

__It had taken Brii a bit to understand the Mandalorian language, but her time in the GAR had helped. And now, hearing it almost constantly, she had picked up on it well. There were no gender roles in titles or pronouns. To Mandalorians, men and women were equal. A parent was a parent. But context did help to figure out if the parent being spoken about was a mother or a father. In this case, Tor was speaking about his wife. Their mother.  
_ _

__Brii was thankful that Mandalorians valued family and adoption. Both of her parents had died- her mother when she was just a small child. She still remembered the treatments and medicines that made her mother feel so sick all the time. When she was seventeen, her father had died of a respiratory virus. And that’s what motivated Brii to study medicine at the University of Coruscant. As she held her father’s hand as he took his dying breaths, she promised herself she would do whatever she could to help people who were sick.  
_ _

__Four years of an undergraduate degree, four years in medical school. And then the Clone Wars broke out. She had just started her residency at the biggest hospital in Coruscant, but decided to volunteer as a field medic instead.  
_ _

__And that’s where her life changed. She would have never thought that a series of circumstances, some good and some very bad, would bring her to putting on Mandalorian armor. But she was thankful for it all._ _


	2. Let's Get You Some Experience

Five Years Ago  
_The Mercy Sun_ , Republic Hospital Ship

Brii's arrival on the _Mercy Sun_ was less than pompous. Not that she was expecting to be welcomed aboard with a party, but she definitely wasn't expecting what she got. 

The hangar bay was buzzing with droids, ships, and screams of wounded. Brii watched in horror as dozens of injured clones were being offloaded from the transport that must have arrived just minutes before she did. 

"Welcome to your worst nightmare," her clone escort said. He handed her the travelcase she had put her few personal belongings in. Then he turned and walked back onto the ship. Brii was left standing there, staring at the mess in front of her. 

"Hey, you!" A voice yelled. "We could use your help!" 

Brii was pulled from her trance to see a middle-aged human male waving his arms at her. "You are the new medic, yes?" 

She hurried to where the man was, frantically standing in the middle of almost a dozen stretchers. 

"I'm Dr. Vox. We need to get these men sorted and off to surgery as quickly as possible." He handed her some markers. "You've triaged before, yes?" 

Brii nodded, staring at the four colored markers in her hands. She had worked in the emergency trauma department at Coruscant Medical Center. Horrific injuries and wounds were not anything new to her, but somehow having to do this task made her freeze up. 

He clapped his hands. "Well, get to it!" He sighed and made a large black X on the chest armor of a clone who was covered in burns. Chemical, most likely. The clone's face was hardly recognizable, and a respirator attached to his face was probably the only thing keeping him alive at the moment. The little armor he still had on was practically melted into his skin. And what was left of his skin was already oozing with fluids and pus. 

Brii knew from her training that the black markings basically meant leave to die. Vox gently pushed his stretcher off to the side and began working on the rest. Brii shook her head and looked down at the clone whimpering in front of her. 

Both of his legs had been completely blown off below the knees. Makeshift bandages around the stumps were already soaked with blood. Based on the paleness of the clone's face and the sweat dripping down his forehead, Brii guessed infection had already set in. 

_Don't they have bacta on the field? This could've been prevented_!" Brii quickly marked him with red. Red for immediate attention. This one would survive, if he got surgery right away. 

Seven red X's, two blacks, one yellow, and three greens. A droid came and took the two with black X's away. 

"Where's it taking them?" Brii asked, staring after it. She knew the answer, but the words just tumbled from her mouth anyway. 

Vox powered the anti-grav on the stretchers and motioned for another droid to come help move the wounded. "They won't feel anything," he said quietly. "We gotta go now." He began pushing the wounded down the hall. Brii shoved her travelcase off to the side, hoping it would still be there later, and followed after Vox. 

_They won't feel anything?_ Those words kept replaying over and over in her head. This wasn't some backwater world where too little medical supplies meant life or death decisions had to be made. This was the Republic. Every resource should be available. The shock of the situation must've shown on her face. 

"Don't feel bad," Vox said. "But the Senate won't give us the resources we request. Too few droids and even fewer staff. Lucky we got you. Besides, they'd never be able to live normal lives again." 

Brii didn't say anything, and Vox had somehow disappeared. Droids were already pulling the stretchers into the room. 

"Hey!" A voice from inside the room called. "Ever assisted in a surgery before?" 

Brii felt her heart race. "A handful of times," she answered. 

"Scrub down, then." 

She walked in and saw that several medical droids, some nurses, and a few surgeons occupied the area. Brii hurried to the sinks and a vibro-shower and droid scrubbed her down and prepped her. 

She made her way back to the surgeon who had called her in to begin with. "What do you need help with?" 

The surgeon was carefully focused on making an incision in a clone's abdomen. "Our computer systems are overworked, and I've got too few droids. I need you to watch vitals." 

That was a droid's job, but Brii didn't protest. She looked up at the screen that displayed the clone's heart rate, oxygen levels, blood pressure, and other important vital signs. 

"Perforated bowel," the surgeon said, still busy with his work. "The good thing about surgery with clones is that they all have identical bodies. You get used to exactly where everything should be." 

Brii leaned over to watch. He worked faster than any surgeon she'd ever observed before. Brii had lost count of how many clones had come through his care while she was in there. But after what seemed like hours, there was a pause. 

"No more, sir," a nurse said. 

The surgeon sighed and pulled of his gloves. The other surgeons did the same, just dropping the garbage onto the floor. They left the mess, scrubbed clean, and the surgeon whom Brii had been assisting motioned for her to follow him. 

"I need some caf," he said. "Care to join?" 

Brii nodded, following the surgeon to the cafeteria on the other end of the ship. The cafeteria was fairly full- nurses and doctors and even a few clonetroopers occupied most of the seats. Brii tried not to stare, but it was hard when they all looked a like. She'd never really seen clones without their armor before. Or at least not healthy ones. 

"You did good, kid," the surgeon said, raising his cup of caf like a toast. "How'd someone like you get stuck here?" 

"I, uh--" 

The surgeon waved his other hand and took a sip of the caf. "Sorry, where are my manners? I'm Dr. Akan Jupiir." 

"Brii Hudan," Brii answered. 

"Brii huh?" Jupiir gave a small smile. "In my language, that's part of the word for 'happy'." He sipped his caf again. "You here to bring some joy to the _Mercy Sun_?" 

Brii set down her cup. “I hope so, sir. I really want to help out in any way I can. After the war started, I realized I wanted to help in anyway I could.” 

“So you volunteered on a hospital ship?” Jupiir asked. “Brave kid. Hope you know what you’re getting yourself into.” 

“I started my residency at Coruscant Medical Center, sir. I’m used to trauma,” Brii said, a little confused at the flippancy of Jupiir’s words. “I worked in the emergency department. I know that is nothing like what you all see here day after day, but I’m not inexperienced.” 

Jupiir set his cup down. “Yes, you are.” He glanced over at the three clones still eating. “See them? They’re the last of their squads. All of them lost every single member. Either in combat or later from their wounds. And they’re the lucky ones. Every day dozens of troopers come through those shields, less than half usually make it. Wounds horrific. So unless you’ve watched men die every day, over and over, I would say no. You’re not experienced.” 

Brii blinked back surprise, but she didn’t say anything. 

An alarm beeped on Jupiir’s comm. “Another transport arrived.” He stood up and threw the caf cup into the trash chute. “Let’s go get you some experience.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Flashback to the Clone Wars! We'll be camping here for the next long while


	3. Flesh and blood... same blood

She watched four clones die that day. One of them was right in her arms. As she showered that night, she let tears stream down her face. She had watched people die before. She’d even held the hands of several of them, but none of their deaths affected her like these ones. Maybe it was because the two elderly humans she comforted had lived long and productive lives. The others were surrounded by loved ones who comforted those who passed on.

But these clones? She tried to tell herself they weren’t really human. More like droids with skin and bones. That’s what the HoloNet always said anyway. But the terrified look on the clone’s face as she placed him under anesthesia, knowing he would probably never wake up, was now seared on her brain. That wasn’t the face of a droid. 

She didn’t sleep well that night. She was tossing and turning on her bunk in between dreams of the screams of the dying. When she finally woke up to her alarm, her eyes felt groggy and heavy. 

“Ooof,” she muttered as she rolled out of the bunk. She stumbled into the refresher to splash water on her face. She wasn’t expected to report to a shift until 0900, so she decided to head to the cafeteria for some food and caf. Mostly caf. 

The cafeteria was mostly empty. A few nurses who looked absolutely exhausted sat together with several cups of caf. Brii guessed they must have just finished a shift. An older Twi’lek woman sat studying a datapad. Two clones were talking quietly with each other. Brii got her food, and then impulsively decided to go join the clones. 

“Hello,” she said quietly as she approached them. “Do you mind?” 

The clones quickly stiffened, but nodded their approval. 

“My name is Brii. I just started here yesterday,” Brii said, giving them a shy smile. 

The clones nodded. “I’m RC-7361,” the one on the left side of the table said. Brii noticed his hair was buzzed and a tattoo ran from his eyebrow over the top of his head. She guessed it continued down the back of his head as well. 

_Interesting_. Brii thought to herself. A way to distinguish himself? 

“RC-0098, ma’am,” the other clone said. His hair was longer, but still kept neat. He had no tattoos, at least not that Brii could see. 

“RC?” Brii asked. She had quickly learned that the prefix code CT before each clone’s identifying number had stood for “clone trooper.” But RC was different. She hadn’t come across any with that prefix yesterday. 

“Republic commando, ma’am,” 7361 said. “We’re here because our _vod_ , our brother, got shot up real bad.” 

“Just waiting for news,” 0098 said, his voice cracking right at the end. Brii noticed his eyes grew slightly glassy. But the clone blinked, and the extra water was gone. Maybe she had just imagined it. 

“Your brother?” Brii asked. 

“All clones are brothers, ma'am. Flesh and blood,” 0098 said. “Same blood.” 

Brii nodded. She understood that as clones, they were technically all related, but she didn’t realize that the clones actually viewed themselves as brothers. That was interesting. And also made the reasoning that clones were just organic droids have even less of a ground. 

“I take it you’re in the same unit then?” Brii asked, nodding to them both. 

“Phoenix Squad, ma’am,” 7361 said proudly. “Elite commando unit of the 501st.” 

“Not that we’re partial or anything,” 0098 said. “But it’s the best commando unit out there.” 

“Was,” 7361 said darkly. 

0098 turned and stared at his brother. “It still is. Flash will be just fine.” 

“We already lost Bravo,” 7361 said. “They’re going to split us up.” 

“Flash is the one you’re waiting for news about?” Brii asked. 

0098 nodded his head. “RC-8822. We call him Flash. He’s our demolitions.” 

“Do you all have nicknames?” Brii asked. She’d never heard of the clones having names like this. 

“No offense, ma’am, but numbers are hard to say,” 0098 answered. 

“He’s Vance,” 7361 said, nodding to 0098. “And I’m Cuyan. Vance is our leader. I’m the slicer and tech guy.” 

“Bravo was our sniper,” Vance said quietly. “We're from the same birthing pod. Trained together since our beginning. We weren’t expecting to lose two _vode_ in the same battle.” 

Brii stood up. “I’m sorry, I have to go, but I’ll see what I can find out about Flash. You said RC-8822?” 

Vance and Cuyan nodded. 

“My shift is done in twelve hours. I’ll meet you in here then with whatever I can find out, okay?” Brii said. She headed for the door, and turned back right before she walked through it. Cuyan was wiping his eyes while Vance rested his hand on his brother’s shoulder. 

Brii bit her lip and turned back to go through the door. 

In the locker room, Brii quickly changed into her medical uniform and pulled her long dark hair into a braid. She’d be with Dr. Jupiir again today, and from the looks of her schedule, she’d be with him all week. That was fine, she guessed. He was pretty much like any of the other surgeons she’d worked with on Coruscant. Strictly business. Except she sensed he had a history or something that made him care maybe slightly more than the rest. 

Yesterday, one of the clones was brought into surgery barely breathing. His vitals had been so weak, the medical droid could hardly sense them. His blood pressure had been almost non-existent. Blood had been seeping through a makeshift bandage around his stomach, and the side of his face was completely gone. 

“Code Black!” One of the other surgeons had yelled when he saw him. “Why is he here?” 

Jupiir had whirled around at the triage words. They weren’t to be treated. Maybe a little pain reliever, but that’s it. They were the ones who wouldn’t make it anyway, or would take too many resources to save. Like the two Brii had seen when she'd first arrived. 

“I’ll take him,” Jupiir had said, pulled the gurney toward him and Brii. Brii had noticed the other surgeon glaring at Jupiir, but Jupiir had just ignored him. 

The surgery took four hours, but the clone had survived. He lost an eye, and only time would tell if he would be able to get back normal brain function. Brii wasn’t sure if he was still alive, but she added that to her mental to-do list for the day. Check on Flash, check on the Code Black clone’s fate. 

Brii walked up to the nurse’s station to see where she needed to go. 

“Ah, Dr. Hudan, did you get enough rest last night?” 

It was Dr. Jupiir, sitting at the desk, scrolling through something on his datapad. 

Brii didn’t know how to answer. She wanted to laugh and say absolutely not, but she didn’t want to sound weak. “I’m okay, sir.” 

Jupiir snorted. “Don’t lie to me. I can see it on your face. You’re exhausted.” 

Brii looked down, face turning hot from embarrassment. 

“Welcome to the life of a Army surgeon.” Jupiir chuckled and stood. “We’re all exhausted, Hudan. There’s no escaping it. But falling asleep during your shift is frowned upon, so if you need a break, tell me.” He started walking down the hall. “No surgery today, unless we get an emergency transport, which is likely. But for now, we need to do some rounds.” 

“Oh, Dr. Jupiir?” Brii asked. Might as well ask now while she was thinking of it. “Do we know anything about an RC-8822? I was talking to some of his squad this morning. They’re waiting for news about him.” 

“Hmm,” Jupiir said, scratching his chin. “ID seems familiar.” He pulled out his datapad and pressed a few buttons. “Ah! He was that Code Black we had yesterday. According to my charts, he’s still in critical condition, but alive. We’ll stop in on him first.” 

What a coincidence. Brii felt a shiver go down her spine. She hoped to whatever gods were out there that Flash would be okay. 

Jupiir knocked on the door where Flash was and let himself in. Flash’s face was completely covered in bandages. A breathing tube snaked around the clone’s head to a droid that was providing life-giving oxygen and monitoring other vitals. Wires protruded from various places on his head to relay brain function. A large bacta patch could be seen on Flash’s abdomen, and Brii also knew that underneath the bandages on his head were other bacta patches. 

Jupiir and Brii checked bandages and went over the data given by the droid. 

“He’s critical still, but stable,” Jupiir said, nodding to Brii. 

“He really should be in a bacta tank,” Brii said quietly. 

“I tried,” Jupiir said. “But since I did technically defy orders, we’re just lucky they gave him a bed.” 

“There aren’t any free ones?” Brii asked, desperate to try to help Flash. 

Jupiir shook his head. “We’ve got exactly twelve tanks on board. I’ve begged and begged for us to requisition more, but hasn’t happened. Dr. Nahi has to plead our case to the Senate, which unfortunately believes the clones to be expendable. Why waste resources on saving lives when we can just produce more clones more cheaply?” 

His words made Brii sick. “That’s no better than the Seps!” Brii said, barely able to get the words out. She glanced over at Flash, worried he’d hear this conversation. He was in a medically induced coma, but still. 

Jupiir held up his hands. “Look, I get it. It’s awful. And I do everything I can to make the lives of these _vode_ better. But we can only do so much.” He motioned for her to follow. “Come on, we have lots more to check on. I’ll send in a nurse to re-bandage those wounds.” 

They walked silently into the next room. CT-9949’s charts showed he had a concussion and traumatic amputation of his left arm. The clone still hadn’t woken up since the blast that gave him the concussion. 

“Dr. Hudan, check the brain activity for me please,” Jupiir said as he adjusted the medications in the IV. 

“Vitals and brain activity look good,” Brii said after checking the droid’s data output. “Temporal brain activity seems a little low, though.” 

“Which means it’s very low for a clone.” Jupiir frowned. “Clones have been genetically modified to have higher brain functions than standard humans. We’ll keep an eye on him. Wish he’d wake up.” Jupiir inspected the bandages around the clone’s missing arm. “That looks like it’s healing nicely.” 

“What happens to them when they lose limbs like that?” Brii asked once they got into the hallway. 

“Just like when anyone else loses a limb. Cybernetic replacements are pretty easy to get a hold of,” Jupiir said. 

“I mean, can he go back?” Brii clarified. Cybernetic replacement parts were fairly common. Eyes, limbs, even some internal organs could be artificially made. Expensive, yes, but it could be done. 

Jupiir shrugged. “If he wakes up and has normal brain function, then possibly. Although not on the field. He’ll either be reassigned to work in an office. If he’s lucky, he might get an engineering position on a ship. But he won’t be back into active combat.” 

“What about clones like Flash?” 

Jupiir raised his eyebrows. “RC-8822?” 

Brii nodded. 

Jupiir lowered his voice. “Regulations are regulations, Dr. Hudan. ID numbers need to be used at all times.” 

“Oh.” Brii felt embarrassed. 

“At all times when the high ups are around,” Jupiir added, even more softly. “And in the halls where there are holocams. Rooms don’t have audio recording. Only visual. Use names in there. Names are important.” 

Brii looked up and gave him a small smile. “Yes, sir.” 

“Anyway, RC-8822 has a long road ahead of him. If he survives, and I say that as respectfully as I can. If he survives, he’ll be transitioned out of service.” 

“What does that mean?” Brii asked. 

Jupiir shrugged. “I have no clue. It’s what I’m told to say, and it’s what you have to say too.” He sighed. “8822 is a commando, elite special ops, so he’ll probably have more options than most. But the future isn’t bright for someone specifically bred to fight droids.” 

Brii didn’t respond. In less than twenty-four hours her entire perspective on the clone army had shifted. These were humans they were talking about. Living, breathing humans who cared for each other. 

“Anyway, we have quite a few more stops to make before lunch. Let’s get at it, shall we?” Jupiir motioned for her to follow. 

They saw twenty troopers before finally taking a break. Thankfully, besides one scare with a clone’s heart stopping, the rounds were routine and simple. Brii’s stomach was growling when they finally entered the cafeteria. 

Still in the same spot as before was Vance and Cuyan. Vance was tinkering with his helmet while Cuyan was scrapping the crumbs off of his plate. They glanced up when they heard the cafeteria doors slide open, and their eyes widened when they saw Brii. 

She headed over to them. “Good news. He’s stable,” she started. She remembered her training at the University. Always start with good news. 

Vance and Cuyan smiled. Cuyan sighed a deep breath. 

“There’s more though,” Vance said, the smile vanishing when he looked at Brii. 

Brii nodded. “He’s still in very critical condition. I’m sure you saw the extent of his injuries when he was brought in?” 

Cuyan nodded grimly. “We were right next to him when the grenade blast hit. It’s what killed Bravo.” 

“So you understand his injuries are very serious. We were able to transplant his kidneys and most of his intestines from donors.” Brii didn’t need to add that the donors were clones who had died earlier. “That seems to be healing nicely. He shouldn’t have any long term issues with that. His facial injuries were much more intense. We did everything we could, but we couldn’t save his eye. Most likely he’s also lost hearing on his left side too.” 

Cuyan bit his lip. 

“And the blast did quite a bit of damage to his brain. We’re not quite sure of the extent, since he is still in a coma. We won’t know until he wakes up.” 

“When will that be?” Vance asked. 

Brii shook her head. “I wish I knew. At least a few days. His brain has taken a lot of trauma. Waking him up too early would be detrimental.” She took a deep breath. “And I need to prepare you for worst case scenarios. He may not wake up.” 

Cuyan started chewing on his lip again. 

“And if he does, we don’t know what he’ll be like. Brains are funny things. Sometimes they take a hit and are completely fine. Other times, just the smallest jostle can cause it to rewire. He may not be able to walk or talk. His personality may have changed. Or he could be completely himself.” 

Vance nodded, glancing over at Cuyan and then back at Brii. “Thank you, uh, Doctor…” 

“Hudan,” Brii said. “Dr. Hudan.” 

“Thank you, Dr. Hudan. You have no idea how much we appreciate this,” Vance said. 

“I only wish I could have more positive news right now,” Brii said quietly. “I’ll let you know if anything changes.” 

Vance nodded. “Cuyan and I have to report back this evening. We’re on the next transport out. But thank you.” 

“Well, is there a way I can get in contact with you?” Brii asked, suddenly very concerned. 

Cuyan looked over at Vance. “Well…” 

Vance squinted. “It’s not exactly regulation.” 

Brii looked around the cafeteria. Only Dr. Jupiir was sitting at a table on the complete other side. “I’m fine with breaking regulation if you are.” 

Vance raised his eyebrows. “I mean--” 

“Here,” Cuyan interrupted. He handed Brii a comlink. “Channel 4f. Audio only, no visual. But it should reach us.” He paused. “If anything happens, please, uh, let us know first?” 

Brii clutched the comlink and nodded slowly. “Of course.” And then slipped the com into her pocket.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I absolutely LOVE republic commandos so they definitely had to make an appearance in this story! These boys have my heart so we'll be seeing quite a bit of them!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I'm very excited to tell this story! This first part is basically a prologue. The next few chapters will be basically an extended flashback to how Brii got where she is today. As much as possible, I tried to adhere to current Disney canon, especially when it comes to the Clone Wars. However, the Mandalorian parts are more loosely based off of Legends/EU Mandalore.  
> Brii is a medic during the Clone Wars, so you will find graphic descriptions of battles, medical procedures, and injuries. 
> 
> PS- I'm not an expert on battles, medical terminology, or Mandalorian culture. There will most likely be issues with all of those areas! If you spot anything, (constructively) let me know and I'll see if I can fix it :) Mando'a words are also used throughout this work. Sometimes the words are translated or context gives meaning, but if not, you can use the website Mando'a Dictionary to help you figure it out!


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